Strength
by Roselilia
Summary: Having decided to give up on basketball, Kuroko get help from an unlikely person.


Wonderfully edited by AokazuSei, Thank you!

* * *

Kuroko stared vacantly at the basketball court in front of him, knees tucked up on the bench with his arms loosely hugging them, a frown tugging his lips down as he idly played with a frayed thread on his Teiko school uniform.

The bouncing ball hitting concrete was slightly better than the sound of it hitting the gym floor, but it still made his stomach recoil as he watched the orange ball bounce up and down in the hands of a group of teenagers.

Why did he do this? Why did he come here every day after he had quit the team? Did he think that someday he would magically like basketball again?

Ogiwara's devastated broken look flitted through his mind, and his hand went to the black wristband he wore, gently stroking the fabric. Kuroko flinched at the sound of the basketball hitting the rim of the metal hoop and sighed as he ran a hand through his blue hair. What was he doing?

The group of kids left the basketball court, clapping each other on the shoulders, wiping the sweat from their brow, happy grins on their faces while uncaring who won. Kuroko watched them wistfully before his eyes landed on the basketball they left behind.

He looked around before tentively entering the basketball court, ignoring the quell of sickness that rocked his stomach. Did he really have a right to be on a basketball court again after what he did to Ogiwara?

Still, being too late to take back his actions, Kuroko plunged ahead and walked over to the basketball, hesitantly nudging it with his foot, watching it roll slightly before coming to a stop. With a deep breath to gather what little courage he had, Kuroko picked up the ball with his hands.

'**I...don't even remember how to receive your passes anymore.' **

Kuroko dropped the ball as if it had physically hurt him, a burning feeling in his eyes and agonizing emptiness in his chest. The ball bounced upon impact and rolled away. This was a mistake.

Kuroko turned on his heel and began walking away. Then, something niggled at him. And suddenly, he was spinning back around and catching the orange ball that was passed to him, all reflexively before his mind even caught up to his actions.

Kuroko stared at the ball in surprise before he dropped it again with a pained frown, nostalgia flowing through him as he remembered all the times he had caught the ball during practices and games, the ache in his chest growing.

He looked to see who had passed the ball, a small thread of hope that maybe, just maybe, it was one of his teammates...former teammates, but to his utter dismay, it was Haizaki, who was staring at him in what looked like disgust, although what Kuroko could have done to warrant such a look was beyond him.

"It's nice to see you again, Haizaki-kun." Kuroko said, years of being taught to be polite over riding his surprise. Haizaki sneered in reply.

"Pick up the ball." He ordered gruffly, and Kuroko's eyes flitted to the ball which was a little ways off. Kuroko shook his head as he stepped back.

"My apologies, but I have somewhere I need to be Haizaki-kun." Kuroko said as politely as he could trying to keep his voice level and void.

"Bullshit." The venom in the curse caught Kuroko off guard, and he blinked at Haizaki who marched over to him. Kuroko took another step back. "Pick up the fucking ball."

Kuroko inaudibly gulped before he bent down and picked up the orange ball in his hands, holding it with the tips of his fingers to limit contact.

"Now dribble it." Haizaki ordered, and Kuroko closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing the bile in his throat that threatened to choke him.

"I don't..."

"**Now**."

Kuroko sighed as he turned his hand over, dropping the ball which bounced up only to have Kuroko bounced it back down, repeated the action. The simple action reminded him faintly of all the practice he had done after school in an attempt to get better, to try to dribble faster, to be better with the ball back when he was on third string.

"Why are you making me do this Haizaki-kun?" Kuroko asked faintly, and Haizaki grunted as he watched the ball with his eyes.

"'Cuz I hate the thought that they made another person quit, especially a basketball idiot like you." Haizaki muttered gruffly, shuffling his feet like he admitted something he didn't want to. Kuroko looked down at the hand bouncing the ball and faintly remembered Haizaki's words, his last words Kuroko heard him say.

'**Those who remain might end up needing more pity than I ever will.**'

"Did you know that this would happen?" Kuroko asked, and Haizaki snorted roughly.

"It was obvious from the start." Haizaki said before raising his hands. "Pass."

Kuroko stopped dribbling the ball, cradling it in his hand, already reflexively bending his arm in the beginning of a pass but then stopped as Aomine's words went through his head. No, he couldn't do this. He swore never to do this again.

"I can't." Kuroko said simply, and Haizaki glared his ash grey eyes piercing Kuroko.

"Why, because they made your friend quit basketball?" Kuroko flinched, nearly dropping the ball in the process. He looked at Haizaki in surprise.

"You know about that?" Kuroko whispered, and Haizaki snorted.

"Yeah, I kept tabs on the team after Akashi made me quit. Don't know why I bothered." Haizaki muttered with an odd lost look before he refocused on Kuroko. "So what? You're running away like a baby because of that? You weren't even part of the fucking game."

"They did it because of me!" The words tore out of Kuroko's mouth without his permission, words he hadn't allowed himself to say to anybody, the guilt wrenching through him. It felt good to say it, but it did not alleviate the shame. He jolted when he heard Haizaki laugh.

"You sure are an idiot." Haizaki mocked before he looked at Kuroko seriously. "Listen up, they did it because they are fucking assholes, not because whatever hell excuse you have to blame yourself."

"If I hadn't told Akashi-kun to not go easy on him then..."

"Then what? They wouldn't have destroyed the other team? Face it, they were already headed in that direction. So what are you going to do about it? Wallow in self-pity? Like a fucking whiny coward?" Kuroko felt a burst of anger, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Haizaki who seemed to want to get a rise out of him.

"What exactly do you think I should do?" Kuroko asked slowly, actually having to make an effort to keep his voice passive.

"Pass. The. Ball." Haizaki ordered, and Kuroko bit the inside of his cheek before he finally did as he was ordered, the ball leaving the tips of his fingers, flying through the air smoothly and landing in Haizaki's hands. It still hurt as he remembered Aomine's words, but this time it was accompanied by joy because deep down, no matter how much he currently hated basketball, he still loved it with all his heart, and god, he had missed playing.

"I thought that it was obvious." Haizaki said as he threw back the ball at Kuroko, with considerably less grace, and Kuroko caught it, reflexively passing it back, not used to just catching the ball, and this time there was just a little more joy in the action.

"I do not know what you mean." Kuroko replied, catching and throwing back the ball at Haizaki, who laughed mockingly. The pain was receding ever so slightly, and Kuroko found himself waiting for the ball to be passed to him, so he could pass it back.

"Get back at them you fucking moron." Haizaki said, and this time Kuroko fumbled with the ball in his surprise. Haizaki patiently waited for Kuroko to regain his composure and pass back the ball before continuing. "Look, they fucked up your friend up right? So why not beat them?"

"I'm not sure how that will do any good." Kuroko said as he actually reveled in the feel of the ball with the tips of his fingers, which grazed the rough material of the ball just before he shot it back at Haizaki.

"Look, they're all arrogant bastards right now, so what if you beat them? They're all going to different schools, so just go to a different school from them and beat the shit out of them in basketball." Haizaki said, and Kuroko frowned but not breaking the delicate rhythm of passing they had going on.

"I still do not see what beating them will achieve." Kuroko said, and Haizaki rolled his eyes and gave Kuroko a look that told him just how much an idiot Haizaki thought he was.

"Look you idiot, you beat them, and you avenge your friend. Maybe it will knock some sense into them. See that they're not all that, and all the fucking shit that you like to spout out." Haizaki said, and Kuroko paused minutely, almost missing the next pass, considering Haizaki's words carefully.

Was it really that simple? He missed his old teammates. They had formed close bonds with each other. The people they were before they made him hate basketball, and the ones who actually treasured playing as a team; they were the same people now, albeit a bit different. Was it truly as simple as beating them to get them back?

Kuroko caught the ball Haizaki passed to him, and instead of passing back, he stared at the orange rubber, his hands caressing the surface, instead of feeling disgust welling up within him, it was resolve, which replaced the emptiness inside him. He would do anything to get back his old teammates, even beat them, if that's what it would take.

"Why?" Kuroko whispered as he studied Haizaki, who smirked when he saw his words having an effect on Kuroko. They hadn't been particularly close before he had quit, so he was completely baffled as to why the thug would help him.

Haizaki studied the ball in Kuroko's hands intently, mulling thoughts around his head, his eyes revealing that he was choosing his next words carefully.

"You're the only one who can do it." Haizaki said finally as he began walking away. "Beat them Kuroko Tetsuya, you're the only one who can do it."

Kuroko stared at Haizaki's back before going back to the ball, thinking over Haizaki's words carefully, before he turned his hand holding the ball over and began to dribble the ball, a small smile spreading on his face as steel hard resolve settled permanently inside of him.

He could do this.

* * *

I don't even know where this came from. I was up at like 3:30am and this came out.


End file.
